Tagged News: news

The news that 72% of Americans are gamers may or may not be much of a surprise given the gigantic console numbers. What may be a surprise is the fact that online gaming is enjoyed by 42% of identified gamers and that PCs are the number one gaming platform among online gamers.

According to The NPD Group's recently released report, "Online Gaming 2008," which analyzes the online gaming landscape and focuses specifically on consumers' behavior, time and money spent in this market, overall participation in gaming rose in 2007 over 2006, from 64 percent of the population to 72 percent of the population. Of these, more than half say they play games online.

The PC platform continues to be the driving force in online gaming, with 90 percent of online gamers stating they use a PC to play games online, 19 percent claiming they use a video game system (console or portable) and 3 percent claiming they use a cell phone.

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The second presentation of interest from the British Psychological Annual Convention is one which debunks the theory that game violence breeds real life violence. In fact, the study indicates that players in so-called 'violent' games are more relaxed than those who do not play them:

People who play violent games online actually feel more relaxed and less angry after they have played.

This is the finding of Miss Jane Barnett and her colleagues at Middlesex University. Their results will be presented at the British Psychological Society's Annual Conference in Dublin today, Wednesday 2 April 2008.

There's more so click below.

Sony Online has posted another in a series of articles to introduce Vanguard players to the development team. This time out, the article features Associate Programmer "Jason W.":

What are you currently working on?

I am working on speeding up builds, fixing gameplay bugs, and improving tools so designers can work faster.

Click through to read more about Jason.

Tabula Rasa is adding a new arena in v1.8 but needs community assistance to name it. Check it out:

The AFS has announced a new fighting arena and need YOUR help in naming it! This new arena sports a large fighter's ring complete with red and blue "corners", bar, medic station, upper deck viewing area, and several recreation rooms. AFS officials have condoned the use of this new area for both 1 vs. 1 and Squad vs. Squad fighting events. The new AFS Arena is accessible from several locations, so even new recruits can join in on the fun.

High Command ordered the location to be built, but they aren't too creative when it comes to naming. We're asking YOU soldier, to submit your ideas for the new Arena name by Friday, April 11, 2008 to trcontests@ncsoft.com. Who knows, we might just pick your entry!

Click below to see some more screenshots to stir the creative juices.

Mark Yu has penned the third installment of his "Mid-Line Shut Down" strategy for PvP in this week's State of the Game. Having covered the importance of Rangers and Mesmers in an effective mid-line shut down strategy, Yu opines on the importance of team communication:

Previous articles in this series have discussed individual Ranger and Mesmer responsibilities in midline shutdown. However, in an actual GvG, with an eight person team, these professions rarely work alone. The midline of a good team works together, much like the frontline pair does. This article covers the communication needed for efficient midline synergy. Throughout a match, the midline's communication should focus mostly on targets, skill shutdown, and team status.

Click below to read the rest.

Masthead Studios has posted the question (and answer) of the week. This week it's all about environment:

This week's question: We've seen some pictures of the environment now - how varied will Enterra island be, and do you plan on implementing things like weather? Will the environment be interactive (can we climb and fall from trees, or swim and drown)?

"Earthrise will provide players with environment that is rich and consistent throughout the island of Enterra. Our artists strive to create many different, visually striking environments that still create coherent and realistic feel across the whole game world. The majority of the island is covered with eye-catching and sprawling grass fields and hillsides, lush tropical jungles and high mountains with deep, foreboding canyon rifts that create beautiful vistas for players to enjoy as they walk through. Among that green paradise rises the towering cityscape of Sal Vitas, clean, almost sterile monoliths that emphasize the high achievements in technology and social advancements. The style of Continoma runs through majority of all necessities that players will have access to - from vendor terminals to local resurrection points that strive to bring back to life the unfortunate victims. Many of these technologies have been reverse-engineered by Noir and the further the players stray from the secure areas of Sal Vitas, the more obvious will become the sense of faction control.

Click below to read the rest of the answer.

A study revealed at a recent British Psychological Society convention reveals that, according to the research, hard core gamers can mirror certain aspects of Aspergers Syndrome.

Aspergers is defined as:

A psychiatric disorder, usually of childhood, characterized by impairments in social interactions and repetitive behavior patterns.

Click below to read the data. Tell us what you think on our forums.

NC Soft-Europe announced today that last weekend's City of Heroes "Ultimate Heroic Weekend raised £3,000 for charity:

The event, which ran from the 21st - 24th March, was the biggest weekend function ever seen at the iconic online gaming venue, with well over 1,300 people attending across the four days. Angela Sewell, City of Heroes Product Manager for NCsoft Europe, commented "We've held events before where our online community have come together to make it a special occasion, but this was something else. With the help of some special guests, including Game Designer Melissa 'WarWitch' Bianco, signature characters Ms. Liberty and Ghost Widow, and the artists from the Draw the World Together Foundation, we not only put on something that can truly be described as "epic" but, in the process, raised well over £3,000 for EveryChild, Draw the World Together's chosen charity." She continued "It would only have been possible to pull this kind of event off at a world class online gaming venue, and that's precisely what the Omega Sektor is."

Click below to read the rest.

The details about the forthcoming release of the Lineage II collector's edition were divulged today. Featuring a host of exclusive CE bonuses, the release also said:

This limited edition version is the ultimate collection for hardened fans and provides new players with a host of incredible, exclusive extras as they embark on their adventures in this stunning online role-playing game.

Click through to see screens specific to the CE and to read more about the exclusives.

Visit the Podcast Website today to listen to Podcast #32 and catch up on any podcasts you may have missed in the past. Every episode kicks off with news from Jason "Pex" Ryan as he tells you all about the latest and greatest news from many of the SOE titles. This podcast features interviews with a member of the Agency team, the EQOA Community Manager Joel Sasaki, and Project Manager Sam Parra. Brenlo and Ashlanne sing Happy Birthday to The Matrix Online, chat about the latest SOE news, and more. Be sure to send your feedback to Brenlo@soe.sony.com or you can head over to the Station Forums and post your feedback there.